For now, Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel is his own best setup man

For the last month, the best set-up man for Craig Kimbrel has been Craig Kimbrel. And it’s the preference of both Kimbrel and the Red Sox that the situation changes.

By Tim Britton / @TimBritton

NEW YORK — For the last month, the best set-up man for Craig Kimbrel has been Craig Kimbrel.

And it’s the preference of both Kimbrel and the Red Sox that the situation changes.

On Tuesday night, with the tying run at the plate and the Red Sox four outs away from a win, they turned once again to the closer in the midst of perhaps his finest season. Kimbrel once again rose to the challenge, striking out five in 1 1/3 innings, including the side in a dominant ninth inning.

“I mean, we know what he’s going to do for us,” said Andrew Benintendi. “I was looking up on the scoreboard and he’s got like 18 strikeouts per nine innings or something like that that’s crazy. What he’s doing is awesome.”

How sustainable is this model, however? Even Kimbrel acknowledges it’s not how he’d like to be used in an ideal world.

“Honestly, I would prefer to throw one inning two or three nights in a row,” he said Tuesday night. “I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do to help this team win. I think it’s five times so far this year I’ve come in in the eighth and helped the team win in that way. I think toward the end of the year we might see it a little bit more. Being so early in the year, it’s going to be pretty spotty when it happens. It seems like it’s worked out over the course of the last month quite a few times.”

“I’ll be honest with you: There’s reluctance on my part to continue to do that,” manager John Farrell said. “There’s two days off leading up to it. When we’ve done it previously there’s usually been a day or two following where he’s been down.”

For Kimbrel, the preference for a single inning stems largely from familiarity. This isn’t Aroldis Chapman or Wade Davis or Andrew Miller — pitchers with starting experience who became lights-out closers. Kimbrel is a guy who was groomed to be a closer since the day the Braves drafted him. Almost all of his minor-league appearances were for three outs in the ninth inning.

“I’ve thrown one inning my whole career,” he said. “It’s something I’m still getting used to. We’ll just see where it takes us.”

The conversation about using Kimbrel for more than three outs began late last season, though it didn’t really lead to anything as Boston was swept in the Division Series by Cleveland. But the Red Sox are clearly maximizing the effectiveness of their best reliever.

Since his first full season as a closer in 2011 through 2015, Kimbrel appeared in the eighth inning a total of eight times. He did it five times last season with the Red Sox, and he’s already matched that number barely a third into this season.

Kimbrel said Farrell has let him know when he’ll be called on for a little extra duty, which the Red Sox believe is critical to ensuring success for someone operating a little outside their customary comfort zone.

“It’s just a matter of communication, so it allows him to be prepared for it and not be caught off-guard,” pitching coach Carl Willis said last month. “We’re going to manage it smartly, depending on his pitch count and how hard he has to work.”

While Kimbrel said the pitch count is the toughest part to navigate — he threw 30 on Tuesday, including 17 to get one out in the eighth — his inexperience in these spots manifests itself most between innings. The right-hander admitted he still doesn’t know exactly what to do with himself during that time.

“I just kept moving. I only sat down when we got two outs. I wanted to keep going, stay in the game, not let my mind wander,” he said of Tuesday’s performance. “It’s something I’m learning on the fly on how to do it. I don’t see how the starters sit and watch the game for that long. That’s a lot.

“I’m a high-intensity, give-me-the-ball-let’s-go kind of guy. I’ve been successful so far. Let’s see how that goes.”

It’s been successful — so far. But judging from the way both Farrell and Kimbrel talked about it, the Red Sox will need a more reliable arm to step up in the eighth to prevent Kimbrel from having to throw too many innings. Kimbrel is on pace to throw 75 2/3 innings this season. He hasn’t thrown even 60 frames since 2014 and hasn’t thrown 70 since his first full professional season in 2011.

“He’s extremely valuable. He’s incredibly talented,” Farrell said. “And he will closely be monitored every time he walks to the mound.”

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